The Korean Open continues as Emma Raducanu faces Peyton Stearns while Yulia Putintseva goes up against Amanda Anisimova in the round of 32. Damien Kayat previews.
2024 WTA Tour – WTA 500
Korea Open
Seoul Olympic Park Tennis Centre
Selected RO 32 matches – 16 September
Emma Raducanu 44/100 | Peyton Stearns 7/4
This could prove to be a highly competitive clash between former US Open champ Emma Raducanu and World No.49 Peyton Stearns. This will be Raducanu’s first competitive outing since her disappointing first-round upset to Kenin at Flushing Meadows.
Raducanu has suffered through injuries in recent times, but she has confirmed that she will play in Beijing and Hong Kong. Who knows which Raducanu will show up this week? She looked like she was regaining some real form prior to that US Open upset.
She reached the semifinals in Nottingham and produced a highly creditable round of 16 finish at Wimbledon. She controversially opted to skip the Olympics, but it may have been the right move, as she reached the quarterfinals in Washington.
But her first-round exit in New York prompted a new wave of criticism and she wisely took some time from the court to recompose herself.
Former NCAA champion Peyton Stearns enjoyed a much more successful New York escapade, beating Daria Kasatkina en route to a 3rd round finish. This has been a bit of a roller-coaster campaign for the big-hitting Stearns.
She won her maiden career title on the clay in Rabat but she otherwise struggled for consistency in the early portion of the campaign. But she really started to come into her own in the North American hardcourts, reaching a maiden WTA 1000 quarterfinal in Toronto.
She also reached the quarters in Cleveland and she will feel quietly confident going into this. Stearns has an almighty forehand that allows her to dictate the tempo of points. She will need to be wary of Raducanu’s ability to redirect pace.
The Verdict: Stearns to win in three sets 52/10
Raducanu leads the head-to-head 1-0, easing past the American in straight sets at last month’s Citi Open. I think that Raducanu may struggle to replicate that form here.
She will feel the pressure following her first-round exit in New York and that could lead to errors. Stearns has picked up some really solid hardcourt results this summer and I could see her exploiting any lingering Raducanu self-doubts.
Yulia Putintseva 97/100 | Amanda Anisimova 81/100
This will be 29-year-old Yulia Putintseva’s first outing since her controversial exit at the US Open. The industrious Kazakh became the target of a social media firestorm after her defeat to Jasmine Paolini, where she appeared to ignore a ball girl in awkward and slightly embarrassing scenes.
I think that people have perhaps gone a bit overboard, but she was certainly in the wrong. In any event, the Kazakh has enjoyed a strong comeback campaign, rediscovering some of the raw aggression that defined her early success on tour (which must be partially attributed to coach Matteo Donati).
She reached back-to-back WTA 1000 quarterfinals in Miami and Madrid. She then went on to win the Birmingham Classic before a round of 16 run at the Wimbledon Championships. She beat Coco Gauff in Cincinnati and she has shown the ability to produce quality tennis on all surfaces this season.
23-year-old Amanda Anisimova is a two-time WTA Tour champ with an aggressive game that could take her into the upper echelons of the sport. Mental health issues forced her to take a seven-month sabbatical last season. And she returned in pretty solid fashion at the start of this year, reaching the fourth round of the Aussie Open.
She has managed her schedule very tightly since then, not making much of an impression on clay or grass. But she really started to rediscover her best form during the North American hardcourt swing, showing signs of her hard-hitting best form with a quarterfinal run in Washington.
But nobody-her included- could have expected that performance in Toronto. She produced the greatest two weeks of her career in the Canadian Open, beating four top-ten players en route to a runner-up finish (the first in her WTA 1000 career). She had a really unfortunate draw in New York, going down to Aussie Open finalist Qinwen Zheng in three sets.
The Verdict: Anisimova to win in straight sets 38/10
This will be their third meeting and they currently share the head-to-head spoils at one win apiece. Putintseva won their most recent meeting, taking down the American in straight sets at the 2022 US Open. Following her heroics in Toronto, I simply can’t look past Anisimova.
She suffered a tough draw in New York but this match gives her the perfect opportunity to build on her recent momentum. Putintseva has been ultra-consistent this year but I think she has been left somewhat rattled by the public reaction to that ball-girl incident. She is the type to try blast her way into form and that could lead to plenty of errors.
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